Ion Mobility Spectrometry Towards Environmental Volatile Organic Compounds Identification and Quantification: a Comparative Overview over Infrared Spectroscopy

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can be extremely toxic and hazardous to expose humans in both indoor and outdoor environments; thus, their detection, correct identification, and accurate quantification are relevant and demanding tasks that need to be addressed. Fortunately, several known analytical techniques allow the qualitative and quantitative assessment of these compounds. This review paper stresses on two independent spectroscopic techniques, infrared spectroscopy and ion mobility spectrometry, both suitable for the detection of very small concentration levels of VOCs in gaseous samples. Infrared spectroscopy is a well-known technique that has been largely applied per se or combined with additional methodologies, to study VOCs at both high and low concentration levels. On the other hand, ion mobility spectrometry gained relevance in this field, due to its capability to measure trace concentration levels, namely ppb(v) and even ppt(v). For this review paper, several scientific papers were analyzed, and the most relevant were addressed throughout the text. The working principles of both techniques are carefully addressed, and updated data is provided for highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of both techniques for the environmental VOCs assessment in air quality control.